Speedman explains that he and Russell were dating IRL at the time of the chop, and he was “such a disaster of a boyfriend up until then.” He was determined to handle the hairy situation with finesse. Ugh, so Ben.

“...I got to work, and she turned around the corner, and my face sort of frozein a half-panic, half-smile situation...it was a Chia Head sort of vibe to it. But it grew into something great,” Speedman remembers.

Speedman and Russell weren’t romantically meant to be, but nearly 20 years later the co-stars remain close friends. Speedman even joined Russell at her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony Tuesdayafternoon.